Introduction:
Up until Little Guy, all o' me mid-power rockets have flown t' less than 2000', well below what I used t' obtain with my Comanche-3 over a decade ago (lost a stage on t' second all-out flight). Arrr! It was time t' change that.

Nose Cone:
Pilfered from t' old Estes supply in t' good ol' range kit, BT55

Recovery System:
Usual construction for me, dowel thru t' body tube, me bucko, 1/2" elastic for shock cord. Aye aye! T' original parachute I had made was way too big, matey, it be given to Star Scraper. Begad! Aye aye! I made up a double-ply trash bag one about 17" in diameter with 8 shroud lines, and it seems t' worth well, although packin' it is still a bit difficult.

Body Tube:
Standard heavy duty cardboard tube with another tube inside o' it for t' bottom 12 or so inches for a motor mount, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, solid fin mountin' as well as material for t' screw eye launch lugs t' bite into. Approx. Avast! 31" x 1.38".

Positive Motor Retention I was concerned with t' tight fit o' t' recovery system and t' high pressure that might result when ejection occurred. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Turnin' t' t' workshop walls, ya bilge rat, I grabbed some small screw deadlights and wire which is fitted over t' end o' t' motor and then twisted. Arrr! It hasn't been stressed on any o' t' flights yet.

Fins:
I wanted t' classic high performance look, so right triangle fins were a must. Laminate of 1/16" balsa with a skin o' paper and wood glue. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Since I wanted this rocket to be a high performer, I air foiled t' fins on this rocket, me hearties, matey, a first for me.

Launch Lugs:
Two 1/4" screw eyes, shiver me timbers, visible in the picture.

Painting:
I actually tried t' finish this rocket well. Ahoy! What I ended up doin' be makin' it worse. I'm nay goin' t' go into t' scary details, just take a look at t' business end shot and that will be enough. Well, blow me down! I do like t' color combo though, and it does have a couple o' layers o' wax on it.

First Flight:
Launched with a F20-7 on 07/08/00. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! For this launch, me bucko, I tried stuffin' t' bigger nylon chute I had made, arrr, which wasn't going to work. Avast! I nabbed t' plastic chute I use for Econoexpress, and even that barely fit. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This was proven when at apogee, arrr, t' parachute ejected but failed t' deploy. Ya scallywag! Fallin' from 1700'-2000' onto grass resulted in a slight nick in one o' t' fins, me hearties, nay too shabby! Another benefit o' t' deployment failure is that I actually got t' rocket back. As it was, it drifted back and landed parallel with t' pads about 100 yards out.

Conclusion:
I think I've caught t' bug! At t' most recent launch (07/23/00) I stuffed a G38-7 and then a G35-7 into this rocket. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Little Guy reached an estimated 3000'-3300' on t' G35-7 before t' ejection charge went off. It was a great flight! Motor sound fadin' into t' distance, lost sight o' t' rocket for a few seconds before pickin' up a tiny black dot o' a parachute way up there. Ya scallywag! And it stayed up thar for over two minutes! It was recovered a few hundred yards downrange in perfect condition. Avast! Arrr! Next up will be a flight on a G25, good for 3600'-3900'. Begad! Hopefully I'll be able t' get it back!